Latest / Scripture Central / ”Stand Forever” Ep. 23 | The Truth—Baptism and Ordinances | Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge

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”Stand Forever” Ep. 23 | The Truth—Baptism and Ordinances | Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge · Scripture Central

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One of the perplexing quandaries of the gospel is what it means
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to take upon oneself the name of Christ.
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The We will all be saved in the end.
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Delusion is older than the earth itself, and its origin is from
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the one who proposed to do that very thing at the expense of the
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agency of man. God offers to give all He has to
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any and all of His children if they keep His commandments.
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God's plan for His children. It's not haphazard
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righteousness. There can be no fulfillment
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without commitment first. It is this commitment that
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scares people off. Every sane person wants
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fulfillment, redemption, joy, knowledge, peace, strength,
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love, and power. But not everyone is willing to
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make the commitment to pay the price necessary to receive them.
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The Lord said, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall
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enter into the Kingdom of heaven.
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Here's the question. Are faith and repentance enough
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to be forgiven and receive the full measure of blessings from
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the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ?
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And why are ordinances and covenants necessary?
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And what does it mean to take upon oneself the name of Christ?
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Hello, I'm Larry Corbridge and this is episode 23 of Stand
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Forever. So again, our faith and
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repentance enough to be forgiven and receive the full measure of
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blessings of the atonement from the Lord Jesus Christ.
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The answer's no beginning. Beginning with Adam, baptism has
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been necessary to be forgiven, forgiven of sin, and to receive
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the Holy Ghost and enter the Kingdom of God.
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It is the gate to the path that leads to eternal life.
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When Jesus went to John for baptism, John naturally resisted
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saying, I have need of thee to be baptized, and comest thou to
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me. Jesus replied, Suffer it to be
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so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.
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And Jesus when he was baptized, the scripture records went up
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straight way out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened
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unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
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and lighting upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven
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saying, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased, Nephi
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also reasoned. And now if the Lamb of God, he
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being holy, should have need to be baptized by water to fulfill
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all righteousness, oh, then how much more need have we, being
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unholy, to be baptized even by water?
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To Nicodemus the Lord said, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
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Except the man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
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enter the Kingdom of God. Baptism is for the remission of
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sins, to qualify one to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and
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enter God's Kingdom. The very last charge Christ left
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with his disciples was to teach all nations, baptizing them in
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the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
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He also said, Go ye unto all the world and preach the gospel to
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every creature, that he that believeth and and is baptized
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shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.
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That is a stark reality that falls hard on the ears in a
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culture that increasingly decries exclusion and celebrates
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open borders even unto heaven under the Boehner of tolerance
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and the false belief that a loving God will give everything
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to everyone just because he loves them.
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Ignoring Christ's teachings, including the parable of the
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virgins, the We will all be saved in the end.
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Delusion is older than the earth itself, and its origin is from
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the one who proposed to do that very thing at the expense of the
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agency of man. Faith and repentance qualify 1
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to worthily receive ordinances beginning with baptism as
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evidence of covenants leading to power to engage in the work of
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God. The Lord said, For for the gate
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by which you should enter is repentance and baptism by water,
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and then and then cometh the remission of your sins by fire
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and by the Holy Ghost, and then are ye in this straight and
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narrow path which leads to eternal life.
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Baptism is the introductory ordinance.
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It is the gate to the path that leads to eternal life and every
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other good thing between here and there.
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You get on the path through the gate.
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Jacob said, Oh, then come unto the Lord, the Holy One, remember
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that his paths are righteous. Behold the way, Behold the way.
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For man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him.
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And the keeper of the gate is the holy One of Israel, he said,
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And he employeth no servant there, and there is none, none
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other way save it be by the gate, for he cannot be deceived,
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for the Lord God is his name. Society would be chaotic without
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the law of contracts. Contracts lay out the plan and
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understanding between two or more people, usually about the
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scope of some work and reciprocal compensation, so no
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one can rightfully claim any misunderstanding.
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The parties to a contractor, not strangers, but know each other
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at least sufficiently to fulfill the agreement according to its
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terms. A contract places the parties in
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a relationship with each other and governs their respective
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rights and interests. If a homeowner, for example,
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negotiates with a house painter to paint his home for $14,000,
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and the terms of their agreement are reduced to writing signed by
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both parties, the house painter has a lawful claim for payment
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if he performs according to the terms of the agreement.
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That all seems reasonable. If, however, a house painter
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takes it upon himself to paint a house on his own accord without
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any agreement, he cannot expect payment for his unsolicited
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services. Word.
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Otherwise, Amazon. Amazon could deliver a a what AD
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9 Caterpillar tractor to your doorstep and charge you $100,000
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even though you didn't order it. Without the law of contracts,
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life would be chaos, chaotic. Similarly, our life now as well
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as before after mortality, would be chaotic without the Law of
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Covenants. Covenants, in a like manner,
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layout the plan and full understanding between God and
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His children about the scope of work on earth and reciprocal
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compensation so that no one can rightfully claim any
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misunderstanding. Covenants are the spiritual
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creation for the Lord, said I, the Lord.
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God created all things of which I have spoken spiritually before
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they were naturally upon the face of the earth.
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The parties to a covenant are not strangers, but they know
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each other at least sufficiently to fulfill the agreement.
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According to its terms, the covenant places the parties in a
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relationship with each other and governs their respective rights
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and interests. God offers to give all He has,
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especially His Son, His Spirit, and His life, to any and all of
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His children. If they keep His commandments,
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His children may accept His offer and enter a covenant with
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God by worthily receiving ordinances.
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And if they perform according to the terms of the agreement, they
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may confidently expect to receive the incomparable
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benefits of the covenant. That also all seems reasonable.
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If, however, a person lives a good life on his own accord, as
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he deems best, without any agreement or commitment, he
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cannot expect God to compensate him in the same way.
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Were it otherwise, his children could lay claim to His greatest
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blessings on their terms, not his, turning again everything on
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its head, making man the master and God the servant.
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Contracts and covenants both require mutuality, reciprocal
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commitments, and a meeting of the minds to the terms of the
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agreement. If a wealthy person were to
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broadcast a gratuitous offer to give away $1,000,000, and if you
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were to show up on his doorstep to claim the prize, you would
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have no legal claim to it because there was no mutuality,
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no meeting of the of the minds, no agreement.
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God's plan for his children is not it's not haphazard
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righteousness. There can be no fulfillment
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without commitment. First, you must commit.
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It is this commitment that scares people off Everyone.
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Everyone wants the benefits offered.
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Every sane person wants fulfillment, redemption, joy,
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knowledge, peace, strength, love, and power.
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But not everyone is willing to make the commitment to pay the
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price necessary to receive them. The Lord said, not everyone that
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saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of
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heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in
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heaven, many will say to me, He said, in that day, Lord, Lord,
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have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out
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devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?
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And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you depart
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from me, ye that work iniquity. You can't just be good and show
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up a stranger hoping to be paid. Without the law of Covenants,
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chaos would prevail. A woman seeking to have her
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temple blessings restored said this.
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Until recently, I had not fully grasped the concept of
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ordinances and the special significance of ordinances in
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relationship to exaltation. The ordinances of salvation and
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exaltation administered in the Lord's restored church, she
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said, are far more than rituals or symbolic performances.
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Rather, they constitute authorized channels through
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which the blessings and powers of heaven can flow into our
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individual lives. Great insight.
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The power of godliness, the gift of God's Spirit is conferred by
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the ordinances of the priesthood, the Lord said, And
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this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and
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holdeth the key of knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom,
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even the key of the knowledge of God.
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Therefore, listen to this. Therefore, in the ordinances
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there of the power of godliness is manifest, and then He repeats
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it, and without the ordinances thereof and the authority of the
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priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto
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the children of men in the flesh.
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Baptism leads to the power of godliness, the power of the Holy
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Ghost. The Lord said, now this is the
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commandment, Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me
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and be baptized in my name. That Now let me pause there.
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The word that is a very important word, it signals
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destination and coming to me and be baptized in my name, that ye
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may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost,
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that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.
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So again, the word that is important in Scripture as it
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signals purpose or or destination, so faith,
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repentance and baptism, that to the end, that of receiving the
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gift of the Holy Ghost and standing spotless before God.
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Therefore, in the ordinances of the priesthood the power of
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godliness is manifest. So let's think about the
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sacrament. The sacrament leads to the power
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of godliness, the power of the Holy Ghost, as sacred as it is.
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This is the sacrament prayer. Oh God the Eternal Father, we
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ask thee, in the name of Thy Son Jesus Christ, to bless and
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sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it,
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that they may eat in remembrance of the body of Thy Son.
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And witness unto thee, O God the Eternal Father, that they are
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willing to take upon them the name of Thy Son, and always
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remember Him, and keep His commandments which He has given
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them, that they may always have His Spirit to be with them.
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Again, the word that that we may always have His Spirit to be
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with us. Therefore, in the ordinances of
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the priesthood, the power of godliness is manifest.
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Think about temple ordinances as as part of the dedicatory prayer
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of the Kirtland Temple and in reference to the ordinances and
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work of the temple that the Prophet Joseph Smith prayed, and
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that they may grow up in thee and receive a fullness of the
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Holy Ghost. In connection with temple
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ordinances, he said that in order to engage in His work, His
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servants must be endowed with power from on high through the
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ordinances of the temple. So again, therefore, in the
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ordinances of the priesthood, the power of godliness is
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manifest. This truth reveals, listen to
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this, this truth reveals that everyone is on equal footing.
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The power of godliness is not the sole domain of the
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priesthood. Rather, it is equally available
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to everyone through the ordinances of the priesthood.
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It is available to everyone equally through the ordinances
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of the priesthood. Everyone is on equal footing.
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And not to diminish the blessing of a righteous father in the
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home, but a single mother, for example, may have the power of
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godliness in her life and in her home through the ordinances of
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the priesthood, even if there is no priesthood holder in the
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home. As with all covenants, the
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ordinance of baptism is necessary, but the ordinance
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alone is not enough to form a binding agreement.
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You can't take a man out of the gut, out of the gutter, and
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baptize him in a drunken stupor and expect a covenant to be
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formed. As with contracts, there must be
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a meeting of the minds for a covenant to be formed, an
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understanding and conscious acceptance of the terms of the
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offer. The Lord said this, and again,
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by way of commandment to the Church concerning the manner of
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baptism. All those who humble themselves
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before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with
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broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the
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Church, that they have truly repented of all their sins, and
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are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having
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a determination to serve Him to the end.
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And truly manifest by their works that they have received of
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the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall
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be received by baptism into His Church.
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So humility is a condition to baptism.
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One must want the blessings of baptism and have a broken heart
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and contrite spirit, and be willing to take upon himself or
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herself the name of Jesus Christ and have a determination to
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serve Him to the end by engaging in His work to build up His
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Kingdom. So that brings us to this
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important question. What does it mean to take upon
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oneself the name of Christ? Names.
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Names are important. They help to order what would
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otherwise be chaos. They help people to know who
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they are and where where they belong.
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God gave the first man the name of Adam, and Adam called his
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wife E. He also gave names to every
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living creature. Life eternal is to know God and
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Jesus Christ. To know someone begins with a
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name. It is primal and instinctive.
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It is the first thing we learn when introduced to someone.
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Hello, my name is Larry, what is your name?
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Conversation then progresses to where do you live and what do
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you do? We explain who we are and try to
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get a fix on who others are and where they belong.
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And all that begins with a name. When God spoke to Moses on top
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of a mountain, he began by calling Moses by name.
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Moses. Moses then introducing himself,
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he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the
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God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
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He then explained his intent to bring the children of Israel out
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of the bondage of the Egypt and for Moses to be his servant.
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To that end, Moses understandably asked, Who am I?
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Who am I to do such an impossible task?
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And God responds only indirectly, saying, Certainly I
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will be with thee. Moses then has the courage to
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ask God's name. He says, When I come unto the
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children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your
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Father's has sent me unto you. And they shall say to me, What
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is his name? What shall I say unto them?
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And God said unto Moses, I am that I am.
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And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I
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am has sent me unto you. When?
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When Paul fell to the ground, surrounded in light, and heard a
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voice saying, Saul, Saul, why persecute us, thou me?
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Paul replied, Who art thou Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus,
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whom thou persecuted. When the Lord appeared to the
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Nephite people after his resurrection, he said, Behold, I
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am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come
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into the world. Interestingly, Heavenly Father
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usually introduces himself indirectly by deferring to his
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Son, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
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Hear him. He makes himself known by his
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Son. Names are important.
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One of the perplexing quandaries of the gospel is what it means
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to take upon oneself the name of Christ.
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It is somewhat paradoxical because the name of the
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priesthood was changed to avoid the two off repetition of His
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name. And yet God has instructed us to
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do all that we do in the name of Jesus Christ.
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Morone, I warned, saying, See that you are not baptized
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unworthily. See that you partake not of the
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sacrament of Christ unworthily, but see that you do all things
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in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ the Son of
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the living God. And if you do this, and endure
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to the end, ye will in no wise be cast out.
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So again, what does it mean to do all things in the name of
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Christ? We of course pray to our Father
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in the name of Christ. All ordinances are performed in
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the name of Christ. Miracles and healings are done
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in the name of Christ. The early apostles and disciples
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preached in his name, Paul said of of Corinthians who were once
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unrighteous. They were washed, in other
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words, baptized, sanctified, justified in the name of the
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Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
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Paul also said, God the Father highly exalted Christ and gave
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him a name which is above every name.
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An Angel of the Lord instructed Adam, saying, Thou shalt do all
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that thou doest in the name of the Son.
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When we are baptized, we take upon us the name of Jesus
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Christ. As we partake of the sacrament
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bread, we covenant that we are willing to take upon us the name
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of the Son. The apostle John explained the
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purpose of his gospel saying, But these things are written
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that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
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God, and that believing you might have life through his
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name. Again, what does he mean?
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That we might have life through the name of Christ?
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He also recorded, and this is his commandment, that we should
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believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one
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another as he gave us commandment.
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On another occasion he said These things have I written unto
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you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may
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know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the
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name of the Son of God. One might think John would have
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said believe on Christ rather than his name.
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I know I keep asking this, what does it mean to believe on the
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name of Christ? Nephi recorded There was none
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other name given under heaven, save it be this Jesus Christ
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whereby man can be saved in our day, the Lord revealed, Behold,
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Jesus Christ is the name which is given of the Father, and
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there is none other name given whereby man can be saved.
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Speaking of Christ, Alma said. And behold, it is he that cometh
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to take away the sins of the world, Yeah, the sins of every
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man who steadfastly believeth on his name.
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Helaman said the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those
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who believe on the name of Christ, who is the Son of God.
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Why not say heaven is open to all who believe on Christ rather
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than his name? Again, I know this is a lot.
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I just want you to get an idea how pervasive this truth is
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threaded throughout all of Scripture.
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Also in our day. The Lord further clarify the
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commandment to love God, saying, Wherefore I give unto you a
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commandment saying, Thus thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
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all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength, and
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in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him.
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It is interesting that when Peter and John were arrested,
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the Sanhedrin Council admonished Peter and John for teaching in
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the name of Christ and commanded them not to speak at all nor
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teach in the name of Jesus, rather than simply ordering them
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not to speak of Jesus and his teachings.
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The concept of acting in the name of another must have been
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commonly understood by them. Probably no one.
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Now this may be the last example.
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I'm not sure. Probably no one has taught more
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compellingly about the name of Christ than King Benjamin.
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He promised His people He would give them a name that thereby
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they may be distinguished above all people.
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When they assembled the following day, He concluded his
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historic teaching, repeatedly emphasizing the name of Christ,
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saying this. And now, because of the covenant
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which He have made, you shall be called the children of Christ,
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His sons and His daughters. For behold, this day He has
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spiritually begotten you. For ye say that your hearts are
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changed through faith on His name.
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Therefore ye are born of him, and have become his sons and his
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daughters, continuing on with King Benjamin.
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And under this head ye are made free.
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And there is no other head whereby you can be made free.
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There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh.
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Therefore I would that you should take upon you the name of
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Christ, all you that have entered into a covenant with
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God, that you should be obedient unto the end of your lives.
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And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be
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found on the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by
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which he is called, For he shall be called by the name of Christ
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still, King Benjamin. And now it shall come to pass,
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that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ,
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must be called by some other name.
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Therefore he findeth himself on the left hand of God.
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And I would that you should remember also, that this is the
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name that I said unto you, that I would give unto you, that
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never should be blotted out, except it be through
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transgression. Therefore take heed that you do
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not transgress, that the name not be blotted out of your
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hearts. I say unto you, I would that you
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should remember to retain the name written always in your
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hearts, that you are not, that you are not found on the left
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hand of God, but that you here and know the voice by which you
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are called, and also the name by which He shall call you.
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End of quote. Long quote.
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The New Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and
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Covenant are replete with references.
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And that's not all. That's not all of them, Not
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nearly. They are replete with references
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to the name of Jesus Christ, rather than Jesus Christ himself
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alone. One would expect references to
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Christ individually rather than pervasive references to his
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name. So again, what do they all mean?
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Names, as I said, are important. They help to order what would
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otherwise be chaos. Names identify not only who we
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are where we belong, but to whom we belong.
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By taking the name of Christ, we not only nominally but literally
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know and proclaim to whom and where we belong with Christ and
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our Eternal Father that we are one with them.
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By the name of Christ we know and declare unmistakably to
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everyone and anyone, everywhere and anywhere, who we are and
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where we belong, bringing order out of chaos.
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Additionally, the law of agency. Now this is important.
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The law of agency in the common law of the United States
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recognizes that a principal they may authorize another, the
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agent, to act in his behalf and in his name within the scope of
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the authority conferred. The relationship between the two
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is also referred to as principal and agent or master and servant.
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The servant undertakes to represent the master while
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engaged in the affairs and work of the master, usually when the
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master cannot be present. While the laws of men do not
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always reflect the laws laws of God, in this instance the law of
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agency is a very good parallel for what it means to take upon
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us the name of Christ and act in the name of Christ, and that
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salvation is in the name of Christ.
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To take the name of Christ implies willingness to be His
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agent, act in His behalf and do His work.
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Acting in the name of Christ means to represent him, do what
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He did and what He would have you do.
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Salvation is in the name of Christ by undertaking His work,
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building up His Kingdom on both on both sides of the veil, as an
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active contributing member and servant.
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Salvation is not in Jesus Christ by merely accepting Christ in
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your heart or even being made clean through His atonement
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alone, rather also doing the things He did acting in His
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name, which enables 1 to retain a remission of sins and have the
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oil the companionship of the Holy Ghost and thereby be
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permitted to enter His presence. If you want to get close to God,
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engage in his work. What would Jesus do?
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It's a wonderful question and focus that has been popularized
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throughout the Christian world like center choose the right.
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What would Jesus do is become a worldwide symbol to remind good
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people to focus on Christ. It is a worthy standard, but as
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far as I can tell it's not something the Lord said.
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He said rather follow me and do the things which you have seen
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me do. What did Jesus do is the greater
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question more than what would he do.
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Therefore he said, Hold up your light, that it may shine unto
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the world, Behold, I am the light which you shall hold up,
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that what you have seen me do. He also said, Verily, verily, I
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say unto you, that this is my gospel, and you know the things
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that you must do in my church, for the works which you have
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seen me do, that shall ye also do.
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For that which you have seen me do, even that shall ye do.
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Therefore, if you do these things, blessed are ye, for you
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should be lifted up at the last day.
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The Lord said, follow me. We have this incredible
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blessing, this benefit, the benefit of hindsight.
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We don't have to guess. We can't fairly say we can't
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know what Christ did. We are the only ones in the
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history of the world with the expansive view of history, the
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Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine of Covenants, the Pearl
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of Great Christ, and the fullness of the gospel of Jesus
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Christ. What would Jesus do again is a
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good question, but what did Jesus do?
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Is the better one all that gives meaning and identity to your
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individual name? If your name is a good name, it
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is because you made it so. No one else can do that.
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Again, names are important not only for what they give to us,
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but what what we make of them. Understanding the importance and
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purpose of baptism for the remission of sins.
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People occasionally say I wish I could be baptized again.
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Such a wish falls flat on the floor because it ignores the
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sacrament, which offers an opportunity for weekly
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reassessment and renewal of covenants.
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Although there are allusions to temple ordinances in the New
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Testament, Jesus expressly teaches and demonstrates only
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two ordinances, baptism and the sacrament.
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Those are also the two ordinances he revealed among the
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Nephi people, of which we have a clear record.
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Those two ordinances are prominent in both ministries.
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They go together. Life is beneficially comprised
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of a series of overlapping and intersecting cycles of days,
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seasons, and years. Each has a beginning and an end
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which links to yet another beginning and on and on.
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Both beginnings and ends are important with.
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With each beginning we we look forward with hope to what may
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unfold with renewed vigor to see it through.
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With With each end we may look back and assess what went well
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and would didn't go so well. These cycles should not be
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routine, rather essential breaks in a routine to look back long
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enough to better inform the next beginning.
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Some people do this routinely. With the beginning of a new
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year, for example, they look back over the year and they set
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resolutions for the new year. That same process should be
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replicated weekly and even daily for the annual resolutions to
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take effect because we are prone to forget.
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Oddly, we are especially quick to forget God, President Spencer
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W Kimball said. Perhaps the most important word
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in the dictionary is remember. While it is ironic that most
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important things are repressed by lesser but pressing things,
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maybe it is understandable. Because the most important
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things are not visible usually, and therefore not mindfully
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urgent. They must be remembered to be
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present. There may never have been a time
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when it is easier and yet harder to remember the most important
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things. Living in the dispensation of
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the fullness of times, you have more to help you remember than
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ever before. You have scriptures, the
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fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, more books and means of
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communication than ever before. All of which should help to keep
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the most important things top of mind.
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But at the same time, you we are bombarded by distractions, a
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tsunami of lesser things. Consequently, there is reason to
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believe the attention span of people is is shorter.
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Today. Many people are always plugged
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in, but not with the most important things.
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It is rare that something external is not directing or
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shading our thoughts. Sustained intentional thinking
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is not so common. The weekly cycle to remember is
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facilitated, of course, by the sacrament.
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Each Sabbath is an end in another beginning, which is
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reflected in the revealed words of the sacrament prayer itself.
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For me, the sacrament prayers represent Christ as the way in
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the life, In other words, the bread as well as the Savior, the
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blood and water. The bread may represent the life
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of Christ as the way. As you proclaim what you are
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willing to do. It is prospective, looking
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forward toward Christ. It is a statement of intention,
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a covenant or promise that you are willing to take His name,
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willing to remember Him always, and willing to keep His
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commandments, that you may always have His spirit to be
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with you. Will.
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What you are willing to do is especially important.
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In the end, it's a matter of will.
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What are you willing to do? The water, on the other hand, is
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retrospective. You look back over the week and
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see what went well and what did not, to better inform your
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willingness to take the name of Christ and keep His commandments
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in the next cycle. During the coming week.
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As you look back, you are mercifully spared from declaring
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something you cannot truthfully declare, namely, that you always
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kept the Lord's commandments and that you had a perfect week.
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Acting in the name of Christ and keeping His commandments are
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part of the declaration of what you are willing to do as you
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partake of the bread, Christ as the way in the life.
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But thankfully they are missing from the declaration of what you
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did as you take the water representing the blood of Christ
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who compensates for what you failed to do.
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Of the three elements of your declaration of will as you
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partake of the bread, the only one that survives to the
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declaration of what you actually did as you partake of the water
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is that you do always remember Him.
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This suggests 2 things. First, to always remember
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Christ, that you may have His Spirit to be with you is
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something you can always do because God would not expect you
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to falsely declare something you're not capable of doing.
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It must be an obsession. No half measures will do, but
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the standard to always remember Christ is more easily met than
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what one might suppose. It isn't to live a Christ like
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life in every instance. Rather it is to always measure
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your life against His, both your successes and your lapses.
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It is always to be mindful of Him in in both directions ahead
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and behind, whether in the context of thinking before
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before you act, thinking ahead, thinking what Christ did again
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the way the bread, or realizing after the fact how your actions
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fell short against that same standard of His life and
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teachings. The Savior in the water leading
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to repentance and enlightened improvement.
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To remember Him always is essentially to look to Christ as
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the standard in both directions, however successful you may or
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may not be in reaching that standard from day-to-day.
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Whenever we do, He should always be the standard against which we
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measure our lives. We can always do that.
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We can always remember Him. Secondly, always may also mean
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to not quit, keep at it, always press forward always no matter
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what. To always remember Christ
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suggests you never give up or give in, never stop trying,
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never lay down to rest. Finally, both the bread, Christ
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as the way and the water, the death and Atonement of Christ as
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the Savior are essential to what is most important, namely
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sanctification and always having God's Spirit to be with you.
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What a blessing are these cycles of of beginnings and endings
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which refresh and break what would otherwise be 1 long slog
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finally leading to death on the desert floor with without and
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without an end, and another beginning without a break,
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without an an Oasis here and there.
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You would become overburdened, eventually succumb to your
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mistakes and lose your way. There would be no opportunity to
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shed the burden of the past and move freely and confidently
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ahead with renewed hope, vigor and will for a new year, a new
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week, or a new day. As King Benjamin said, O man,
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remember and perish not. In the next episode we will
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consider the greatest blessing one may receive in this life.
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I hope you will join me then. Thank you.